I hope that what I write here will help students of Spanish and of the cultures of Spanish-speaking countries to develop vocabulary, practice structures, and better understand our rich customs and histories.

While many sports are played throughout the Spanish-speaking world, the most popular by far is soccer (fútbol), the Beautiful Game. The US is only just beginning to learn about football (that's what the rest of the English-speaking world calls it), and is developing clubs, players, and a fan base. Every country has club teams. In the US and Canada we have the MLS (Major League Soccer), with teams like D.C. United, the L.A. Galaxy, or Toronto F.C. Many people around the world watch European soccer, where the English Premier League and the Bundesliga enjoy prestige and draw some of the best players in the world. However, the best players play for their clubs only part of the time, and for their national teams the rest of the time. Currently the US is participating in the Gold Cup, a tournament that includes the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American, and Caribbean Association Football) teams, and has moved on to the quarter finals. In South America there is CONMEBOL (Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol), which is a viciously competitive league. And every four years (next time is 2014 in Brazil) we have the FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) World Cup. In fact, national teams spend the majority of those four years between World Cups trying to qualify for the next one, and things are heating up now because there is not much time left for teams that are unsure if they will qualify. It's getting exciting, so watch some fútbol! It's fun to watch in Spanish, not only because you learn terminology and hear the commentators speak at a hundred miles per hour, but also because when a goal is scored, you get to hear ¡GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLL! ¡GOL! ¡GOL! ¡GOLAZOOOOOOO! Below are some terms that might help you follow along, if you decide to watch in Spanish. And here is a link to a great National Geographic article about the Beautiful Game.the ball..........la pelota/ el balónthe net..........la redthe goal..........el arcothe pitch..........la canchaa goal..........un golto kick..........patear/ dar una patadaa header..........un cabezazoto head the ball..........dar un cabezazoto run..........correrto win..........ganarto lose..........perderto tie..........empatara tie...........un empateto beat..........derrotar/vencerthe player..........el jugador/ la jugadorathe goalie/ the keeper..........el arquero/ el porterothe forward..........el delanteromidfielder..........el centrocampistathe defense..........la defensathe team..........el equipothe coach..........el entrenadorthe referee..........el árbitro/la árbitrato pass..........pasarthe pass..........el paseto block..........bloquearthe first half/ second half..........el primer tiempo/ segundo tiempoa foul..........una faltaa free kick...........un tiro librethe penalty box..........el área de metaa penalty kick...........un tiro penala yellow card...........una tarjeta amarillaa red card..........una tarjeta roja